1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to optoelectronic devices. The invention more particularly concerns an optoelectronic device which mates with a cage where the cage is push-in mountable to a bezel or faceplate of a host structure.
2. Discussion of the Background
An optoelectronic device utilizes at least one optical subassembly. The optical subassembly can be an optoelectronic receiver or an optoelectronic transmitter. An optoelectronic transmitter receives electrical signals, converts the electrical signals to light signals, and then transmits the light signals. An optoelectronic receiver receives light signals, converts the light signals to electrical signals, and then transmits the electrical signals. A transceiver is an optoelectronic device which has at least one optoelectronic receiver and at least one optoelectronic transmitter.
Optoelectronic devices can be used in many ways. Some optoelectronic devices are surface mountable. Such an optoelectronic device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,066. Some optoelectronic devices are pluggable. Such optoelectronic devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,717,533; 5,734,558; 5,864,468; 5,879,173; 6,570,768; and Re 36,820. And yet other optoelectronic devices are bulkhead mountable. Such an optoelectronic device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,402. Electronics associated with some types of optoelectronic devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,812,582; 5,812,717; 6,108,114; 6,160,647; 6,607,307; 6,711,189; and Re 36,491.
One pluggable optoelectronic device is known as the Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) transceiver. The SFP transceiver is a form factor that is defined by a standard known as the “Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) Transceiver Multisource Agreement (MSA),” dated Sep. 14, 2000. Such optoelectronic devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,430,053; 6,556,445; 6,570,768; and 6,778,399. The SFP transceiver requires less space on the circuit board of a host device or host structure as compared to then previously known transceivers such as the Giga-Bit Interface Converter (GBIC) transceiver. A Giga-Bit Interface Converter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,627. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,717,533; 5,734,558; 5,812,582; 5,812,717; 5,864,468; 5,879,173; 6,108,114; 6,160,647; 6,179,627; 6,358,066; 6,430,053; 6,556,445; 6,570,768; 6,607,307; 6,711,189; 6,778,399; 6,913,402; Re 36,491; and Re 36,820 are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Each SFP transceiver is plugged into a cage or receptacle of the host structure. The cage is mounted to a circuit board of the host structure. The cage is designed to limit the propagation of electromagnetic radiation. The cage occupies space on the circuit board of the host structure. Also, when the cage is mounted to the circuit board of the host structure, errors, mistakes, or accidents can cause the act of attaching the cage to the circuit board to ruin or cause the circuit board to be reworked.
Accordingly, there is a need for an optoelectronic device which does not utilize much of the area of a circuit board of the host structure, is easily insertable into and removable from a host structure by an operator, and does not require much work on the circuit board of the host structure so as to make the host device functional with the optoelectronic device.